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Jun. 17—ESTERO, Fla. — Riese Zmolek signed with the Florida Everblades on March 21.
Three months later, Zmolek is a Kelly Cup champion for the second time.
The 29-year-old Rochester Century graduate was an assistant captain for the Everblades the previous two seasons, but he spent much of the 2025-26 season on the sidelines, dealing with injuries.
He re-joined the Everblades in time to be added to their ECHL playoff roster, and the move couldn't have worked out better for both sides.
The 6-foot-1, 201-pound left-shot defenseman played in the final nine regular-season games, then in all 20 postseason games. He recorded seven assists — four in the postseason — and a plus-10 plus/minus rating in those 29 games.
Most importantly, he helped the Everblades win their fourth ECHL championship in five years by defeating the Kansas City Mavericks 4-2 in the best-of-7 Kelly Cup Finals. Kansas City won Games 1 and 2 on its home ice, then Florida rattled off three consecutive wins at home, before finishing the series with a 5-4 win in double-overtime on Monday in Kansas City.
Zmolek also won a Kelly Cup with the Everblades — who play in Estero, just south of Fort Myers, Fla. — in 2024. In his three seasons with the team, Zmolek has played in 149 games (counting regular season and playoffs), recording 7 goals and 31 assists, for 38 points, as well as 121 penalty minutes and a plus-70 plus/minus rating.
He graduated from Rochester Century in 2015 after recording 103 points in four varsity seasons. Following his senior season, he played in 25 games for the Austin Bruins, helping them reach the North American Hockey League's Robertson Cup Finals.
Zmolek then produced 27 points in 106 games over two seasons with the Cedar Rapids (Iowa) RoughRiders in the USHL, serving as their captain in his final season there, 2016-17. He won the Curt Hammer Award as the USHL's Gentleman of the Year in 2017.
Zmolek played four seasons at Minnesota State University, Mankato, and was named the team's captain as a senior in the 2020-21 season, when he helped the Mavericks reach the NCAA Division I Frozen Four for the first time in program history. He played in 135 games at MSU, collecting 7 goals and 33 assists, and 100 penalty minutes.
He started his professional career in the fall of 2021, playing two years in the Minnesota Wild's system, including 21 games with the Wild's top minor-league affiliate, the Iowa Wild.
Zmolek's brother Will, 27, recently completed his third season of pro hockey, playing for the Iowa Wild. He has recorded 8 points in 63 games for Iowa over the past two seasons. The Zmoleks' youngest brother, Bennett, captained the University of North Dakota to the NCAA Division I Frozen Four this past season.
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Three months later, Zmolek is a Kelly Cup champion for the second time.
The 29-year-old Rochester Century graduate was an assistant captain for the Everblades the previous two seasons, but he spent much of the 2025-26 season on the sidelines, dealing with injuries.
He re-joined the Everblades in time to be added to their ECHL playoff roster, and the move couldn't have worked out better for both sides.
The 6-foot-1, 201-pound left-shot defenseman played in the final nine regular-season games, then in all 20 postseason games. He recorded seven assists — four in the postseason — and a plus-10 plus/minus rating in those 29 games.
Most importantly, he helped the Everblades win their fourth ECHL championship in five years by defeating the Kansas City Mavericks 4-2 in the best-of-7 Kelly Cup Finals. Kansas City won Games 1 and 2 on its home ice, then Florida rattled off three consecutive wins at home, before finishing the series with a 5-4 win in double-overtime on Monday in Kansas City.
Zmolek also won a Kelly Cup with the Everblades — who play in Estero, just south of Fort Myers, Fla. — in 2024. In his three seasons with the team, Zmolek has played in 149 games (counting regular season and playoffs), recording 7 goals and 31 assists, for 38 points, as well as 121 penalty minutes and a plus-70 plus/minus rating.
He graduated from Rochester Century in 2015 after recording 103 points in four varsity seasons. Following his senior season, he played in 25 games for the Austin Bruins, helping them reach the North American Hockey League's Robertson Cup Finals.
Zmolek then produced 27 points in 106 games over two seasons with the Cedar Rapids (Iowa) RoughRiders in the USHL, serving as their captain in his final season there, 2016-17. He won the Curt Hammer Award as the USHL's Gentleman of the Year in 2017.
Zmolek played four seasons at Minnesota State University, Mankato, and was named the team's captain as a senior in the 2020-21 season, when he helped the Mavericks reach the NCAA Division I Frozen Four for the first time in program history. He played in 135 games at MSU, collecting 7 goals and 33 assists, and 100 penalty minutes.
He started his professional career in the fall of 2021, playing two years in the Minnesota Wild's system, including 21 games with the Wild's top minor-league affiliate, the Iowa Wild.
Zmolek's brother Will, 27, recently completed his third season of pro hockey, playing for the Iowa Wild. He has recorded 8 points in 63 games for Iowa over the past two seasons. The Zmoleks' youngest brother, Bennett, captained the University of North Dakota to the NCAA Division I Frozen Four this past season.
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